Third Battle of Kharkov

The Third Battle of Kharkov occurred from 19 February to 13 March 1943 when the German 4th Panzer Army, II SS Panzer Corps, XLVIII Panzer Corps, and elements of the 1st Panzer Army launched an offensive to recapture the cities of Kharkov (Kharkiv, Ukraine) and Belgorod in the Ukrainian SSR (Belgorod is today a part of Russia). In February 1943, the Soviet counterattacks against the Axis forces on the eastern front of World War II ground to a bloody halt as their divisions became undermanned, and the German commander Erich von Manstein masterminded a counterattack against the Red Army in the city of Kharkov. Brandenburgers captured forward Soviet positions, killing 177 men and losing 40 men, and the Red Army tank spearheads were defeated by the Wehrmacht armor outside of Kharkov before the Germans attacked the city itself. After four days of house-to-house fighting, the 1st SS Panzer Division took over Kharkov on 15 March, costing the Red Army 90,000 troops while 11,500 Germans were lost. Two days later, Belgorod was recaptured by the Germans, leading to the creation of the Kursk salient and the ensuing decisive Soviet victory at the Battle of Kursk.